Mike Sherry's Sports Buzz: Neenah's Pohlman is state soccer player of the year

Neenah senior Adam Pohlman is the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association state player of the year.

Getting pulled aside in the hallway by a school administrator isn't always a good thing for a high school student.

For Adam Pohlman, it turned out to be a great thing.

Pohlman, a senior midfielder on the Neenah High School boys' soccer team, got a tap on the shoulder from Neenah activities director Nate Werner last week and was told that he had been named the state player of the year on the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association all-state team.

"I was actually pretty shocked," Pohlman said. "Mr. Werner pulled me aside in the hallway and told me and I was smiling from cheek to cheek. I called my mom and dad right away. I was just shocked because we didn't make it to state, so I didn't know if I had a shot. It's nice to get it and to be recognized."

Pohlman, who will play soccer in college at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, headlines the 11-player all-state first team. Pohlman finished the season with 37 goals and 26 assists.

He was disappointed that the Rockets' season ended before the state tournament - Neenah lost to Green Bay Preble 1-0 in the sectional semifinals - but Pohlman was happy with his senior season.

"I think I reached my potential," he said. "I wanted to set the bar high for my team and be more of a leader, more of a captain. I played a bigger role than I had in the past. It was definitely a good year."

Forwards Keegan Govin of Appleton North and Tyler Speakes of Neenah, midfielders Marco Delbecchi of Hortonville and Jordan Altekruse of Neenah, and defenders Max Johansen of Appleton North and Rashwan Jackson of Neenah earned "best of the rest" mention on the all-state squad.

Tops in volleyball

Kaukauna junior outside hitter Carter Belling was named to the second team on the Wisconsin Boys Volleyball Coaches all-state team, which was released Monday.

Ben Plaisted of Wauwatosa East was named the player of the year and Tim Owen of Brookfield East was the coach of the year.

Border Battle set

The eighth annual Border Battle featuring high school boys' basketball teams from Wisconsin and Minnesota will be held Jan. 25 at Kaukauna High School. The event is sponsored by Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook and Breakdown Sports.

In 2013, Minnesota posted a 7-0 sweep of its counterparts from Wisconsin and leads the all-time series 23-16.

Arnold in action

When Wisconsin football coach Gary Andersen took a timeout with 3:03 remaining in the game Saturday with the Badgers leading Indiana by 41 points, it was to get Brett Arnold, a wide receiver, and Jacob Ninneman, an offensive lineman from Oregon, into the game.

Arnold, a senior wide receiver from Sherwood and a Kaukauna High School graduate, spent three seasons as a student manager before being offered a chance to walk-on at wide receiver before spring practice this season.

"It's great to see them have success," Andersen said after the game. "Maybe the only snaps they're ever going to play at Wisconsin. They were steady and took care of business."

Taylor does it again

Jack Taylor, the Grinnell College basketball star who scored 138 points in a game last season, is up to his old tricks.

The 5-foot-10 junior guard from Black River Falls scored 109 points in Grinnell's 173-123 win against Crossroads on Sunday. This after he scored 71 points on Friday, meaning Taylor has scored 180 points in two games this season.

Taylor, who owns three of the top five scoring performances in the history of Division III basketball, was 35-for-70 from the field on Sunday, including 24 of 48 on three-pointers.

If you want to see Taylor in person, Grinnell is scheduled to play four games in Wisconsin: Nov. 30 at Beloit College, Jan. 4 at Ripon College, Jan. 18 at Lawrence University and Feb. 15 at St. Norbert College.

Buzz bits

? Kaukauna Area School District activities director Jim McClowry has been elected vice president of the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association. McClowry begins his four-year term immediately and will eventually be promoted into the position of WADA president in 2016. McClowry is in his 21st year as an educator and 11th as an athletics administrator in Wisconsin.

? For the first time since 2008, two teams will represent the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in the NCAA Division III Football Championship after UW-Platteville and UW-Whitewater earned bids into this year's 32-team field. Platteville (9-1) will host Concordia University (Wis.), while Whitewater (10-0) will host St. Norbert College (8-2) in first-round games Saturday.

? Freshman guard Riley Dearring announced Sunday his intention to redshirt this season for the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team. Dearring is the fourth Badgers player to redshirt this season, joining Jordan Smith, Zak Showalter and Aaron Moesch.

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Mike Sherry's Sports Buzz: Neenah's Pohlman is state soccer player of the year

Getting pulled aside in the hallway by a school administrator isn't always a good thing for a high school student.

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